What is lung glass opacity?

Lung diseases are very common in clinical practice. Generally speaking, lung diseases can be detected through relevant diagnostic examinations. If ground-glass shadows are found in the lungs during the examination, it must be taken seriously. Such a situation is generally a sign of some lung diseases. It is recommended to go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible. So what exactly are ground-glass opacities in the lungs?

1. Pathology

Pathological sections of lesions removed during previous surgeries show that the true appearance of ground-glass shadows in the lungs, that is, its pathological basis, is actually the thickening of the pulmonary interstitium due to inflammation, edema, fibrous tissue hyperplasia or tumors; the alveolar cavity is incompletely filled with cells and fluid. So far, the cause of GGO is still unclear.

2. Diagnosis

Currently, the diagnosis of GGO mainly relies on imaging examinations, that is, thin-layer CT of the chest. Current X-rays or the original 2-row spiral CT scans are not recommended for use during physical examinations because the lesions are too small and can easily lead to missed diagnoses and delayed treatment. Is PET-CT, which can be performed directly in one step, effective? Generally speaking, for ground-glass opacities smaller than 1 cm, examination is of little significance and often results in false negative results, so it is not recommended.

3. Surgical criteria for ground-glass opacity in the lungs

Generally speaking, the size of the lesion is currently limited to 8mm to determine whether surgery is needed. Lesions smaller than 8 mm generally require three months of follow-up before deciding whether surgery is needed. This is mainly because some lesions smaller than 8 mm may be inflammatory and will disappear after anti-inflammatory treatment. Current research has shown that the growth rate of GGO is very slow, and the doubling time is often more than 2 or 3 years. Therefore, it is almost impossible for metastasis or spread in such a short period of time, so there is no need to panic.